This season has seen a cast shake-up on Married To Medicine. Viewers have seen the addition of attorney, local business owner, and Real Housewives Of Atlanta alum, Phaedra Parks. Phaedra came into the group of doctors and doctor's wives as someone not necessarily "married" to medicine, but as someone who was at least dating a Nigerian doctor, for conceptual consistency. Since the end of that relationship, Phaedra has switched to practicing Reiki to continue filming with the medicine-minded women on the reality series. Phaedra also came into the group as a friend of original cast member, Quad Webb, who has hit a rocky road filming with her Married To Medicine co-stars over the years. Quad has so alienated herself from the other women that she was asked to leave the Napa Valley cast trip this season. But since her departure, the ladies have not been missing out on dramatic moments. They may have even hopped out of the frying pan and into the fire with new cast member: LaTeasha "Sweet Tea" Lunceford.
LaTeasha has been introduced to the group as the new fiancée to Dr. Gregory Lunceford. The name is familiar to viewers as the ex-husband of cast mate Quad. Automatically, LaTeasha is coming into the group bringing new drama, since Quad would be filming with her ex-husband's new bride-to-be. However, LaTeasha has proven that, regardless of the relationship between her and her soon-to-be husband's ex-wife, she brings a whole new dynamic to the group. Or rather, she brings back the same dynamic that the ladies seem to have hoped they could move away from by removing Quad. LaTeasha has unresolved emotional drama from her past, brings diva behavior to the present, and is causing all kinds of headaches for the cast of Married To Medicine.
Lateasha Is Fighting Against the Golddigger Steretoype on 'Married to Medicine'
When LaTeasha first comes into the group, she hosts the ladies at her new home for an engagement party. Dr. Heavenly Kimes asks what she enjoys most about being engaged, and her response floors the women. Without hesitation, LaTeasha states: "I get a little access to the money." The women look stunned, and in their talking-head interviews with production, it's clear they don't know how to respond to such openness. Toya Bush-Harris questions, "Say what?" Dr. Heavenly Kimes asks "What did she say?" Phaedra goes even a step further, stating: "My gold digger meter is dinging."
However, it is unfiltered Heavenly, of course, who raises the issue in person at the engagement party, asking: "Have you ever been called a gold digger?" Then in an interview with production, Heavenly elaborates: "Quad was a gold digger. Sweet Tea? Digging for copper. She is on the lower level, she don't even know what gold is. She ain't never seen no gold." When the ladies at the engagement party bring up Quad to LaTeasha, she shuts down any gossip about ex-Mrs. Lunceford, as they celebrate in Quad's newly decorated old home. She firmly tells the women, "We're not gonna make this about Quad."
Married to Medicine takes the opportunity to address the ozempic craze with commentary from Dr. Jackie and Dr. Simone.
At the celebration, viewers are also introduced to LaTeasha's twin sister, Kaneasha. She does not hesitate to check the other women when they continue to bring up Quad and speak over her sister. Kaneasha barks at the ladies: "This is her house, so let her speak!" LaTeasha let the producers know: "My sister ain't afraid to check a bi--h. She gonna gather them up and put them back in line." However, as much as the twins stand for one another, there also seems to be some past family drama sitting just below the surface.
At LaTeasha's bachelorette celebration, she and her sister get into a surprisingly heated argument. When her wedding planner calls with the bad news that a change of venue will result in considerable additional charges for the event, Kaneasha attempts to grab the phone from her sister to take control of the situation to help the bride out. However, the gesture is not well received by the already upset LaTeasha. She snaps at her sister "Get off me!" The ladies look surprised and Toya tells her, "That's your sister. You can't talk to her like that." As a frazzled Kaneasha tells LaTeasha she is trying to help her, the twins' emotions escalate into a screaming match that threatens to get physical, as the women have to be separated.
LaTeasha Lunceford Is a Diva In Her Own Right
LaTeasha has proven herself to be as much of a diva as Quad ever was. The women of the group may have a familiar sense of whiplash, the way the new Mrs. Lunceford switches from slinging chaotic insults and then switching back to being the "Sweet Tea" her nickname suggests, filled with contrition and apologies. LaTeasha has even gotten under the skin of the typically demure Dr. Jackie Walters.
At the Hilton Head couples retreat, LaTeasha points out that while Dr. Jackie seems to be protective of her marriage, she has no problem passing judgment on LaTeasha's marriage with Dr. Gregory and his history with Quad. Dr. Jackie asks her with a smile, "Do you need to make me feel uncomfortable?" To which LaTeasha responds quickly: "No, but I think you should be in the hot seat." Jackie then plays the doctor card, claiming that she is in the hot seat every day with her practice, and summarizes her argument with a simple statement: "Bring it." Dr. Simone Whitmore points out in an interview with production: "Needless to say, Sweet Tea arrived with a chip on her shoulder." LaTeasha's ability to go toe to toe with the original cast members when she senses a personal slight, even in her rookie season, confirms her diva status.
LaTeasha also has similar complaints about Dr. Gregory as Quad did. The strain on the relationship starts to show when the new couple discusses wedding planning. As LaTeasha requests more active participation from her fiancée, Greg teases that since he is paying for the wedding, he feels that he should not have to feel any stress about it. He seems to demonstrate quite old-school values, expecting dinner on the table when he gets home from work, and that the actual work associated with the wedding planning should mostly fall to his soon-to-be-wife. When LaTeasha points out that her money is also going into the wedding, he is firm in insisting that funding the wedding "plays to his strength" while planning the wedding plays to hers.
He gripes at dinner: "How did this wedding become stressful? I'm sorry, but I ain't supposed to be hearing sh-- about this wedding." LaTeasha later complains to Heavenly at a dinner about his lack of involvement, and Heavenly inquires if he has been "throwing it in [her] face" about paying the bills. LaTeasha confirms and elaborates that she shares a complaint with Quad, in that Gregory can be controlling and treats her like a child. This may seem like typical wedding planning stress, but viewers know that in his relationship with Quad, she had similar complaints about Gregory's lack of input in their relationship and his controlling nature.
The group now knows that LaTeasha will hold her own in an argument. As a rookie reality TV star, she is unafraid to step up and duke it out with even the most seasoned cast members. If she continues on Married To Medicine, presumably she will grow into her new role within the group, and as a doctor's wife. However, her hair-trigger temper proves she still has a lot to learn about how to express herself when angry. Her diva behavior this season towards her new husband and friend group in Atlanta proves that, regardless of what she learns or doesn't, LaTeasha will always provide excellent reality TV.
The Ladies Might Find LaTeasha Is Not So "Sweet" After All
The existing tension between LaTeasha and Quad makes it difficult for the two to coexist as cast mates. This is exacerbated by Toya's continued refusal to film with Quad and her campaign to keep Quad from returning to the show. Another strain on the pair getting along is Heavenly, who seems to plot to pit the two against one another. Surprisingly, LaTeasha seems to be open to having Quad in the group when she shows up as a guest that Phaedra brings along to her bachelorette party. However, once LaTeasha clocks the clear strain in the relationship between Toya and Quad, she agrees with Toya that this occasion is perhaps not the best situation for a reintroduction and asks Quad to leave the event.
At LaTeasha's bachelorette, two days before the wedding, Dr. Heavenly repeats to the other ladies the conversation that she had with LaTeasha over her concerns about seeing Dr. Gregory as controlling. Heavenly even takes it a step further, and claims that the couple is not ready to get married. Once LaTeasha is informed this has occurred, she removes Heavenly from the wedding guest list. However, LaTeasha does not inform Heavenly of the change, which results in quite the dramatic moment when she and her husband show up to the wedding and are initially barred entry.
The drama between the two women seems to have continued at the recently filmed reunion if their social media engagement is anything to judge by. On an Instagram live, the pair got into a heated exchange where Sweet Tea claims to have receipts regarding Heavenly's husband cheating on her. In an individual Instagram live, she followed up on this argument, explaining that while Dr. Heavenly did bring her onto the show, she only wanted to create drama between her and Quad. LaTeasha claims that she wanted nothing to do with a manufactured feud. She goes on to explain that she has only recently started speaking negatively about Heavenly on social media because of the way that Heavenly conducts herself online, constantly speaking out of turn about LaTeasha and her husband.
LaTeasha explains: "Sometimes, you have to get ignorant with people for them to understand what you're saying." In a tit-for-tat moment, she follows up with, "If you don't want your husband in it, don't talk about mine. That's just how it go, baby."
LaTeasha also has an attitude towards Dr. Jackie Walters, which will certainly be discussed at the soon-to-air reunion. LaTeasha appeared to be carrying resentment towards Jackie, sensing condescension and judgment coming from her direction. At Hilton Head, LaTeasha is unwilling to drop the issue of Dr. Jackie butting into her marriage and her having "made fun" of her relationship. As soon as the group tries to get her to keep quiet for the sake of a calm evening, Sweet Tea suddenly turns sour. She shouts: "No, stop. Because I'm tired of that. Let me speak, because nobody gave a f--k about how I felt." Dr. Jackie calls her "baby girl" and speaks with a somewhat condescending tone, stating: "Say anything you want to say, get it out if it's gonna make you feel better, get it out. I want to hear what you have to say." In response, LaTeasha snaps: "F--k you. Bi--h." Dr. Jackie keeps calm and claims that she will "handle" LaTeasha later.
Speaking about this outburst in an interview with production, Dr. Gregory tells his wife: "I hope to never see you get that angry again." He seems disappointed in her behavior, and sets expectations that it will change. However, Sweet Tea makes clear that she feels justified in putting Jackie in her place. For Gregory, his new wife's quick temper may have also felt a touch too familiar, considering how heated his relationship with Quad became.
When Sweet Tea eventually apologizes, Jackie seems to be holding on to being called out of her name, and tells LaTeasha "Apologies, though, are for you." Later on the trip, a new cast member and "friend of," Dr. Alicia Egolum, checks in with Jackie to see how she is feeling after the confrontation. Dr. Jackie claims: "You could not have paid me to respond last night." In a talking head interview with production, she elaborates: "I do feel I owe Sweet Tea an apology, for not getting up and slapping her around her mouth like a mother should have done." Dr. Jackie later accepts LaTeasha's second apology, claiming to be tired of the confrontation. Dr. Jackie tends to save her true feelings for production interviews since in the moment of a heated disagreement her philosophy is "silence is golden." Although she claims to have accepted the apology to move on, with the reunion coming up, viewers can expect to see Dr. Jackie "amplify" the situation and address the disrespect more fully. And if LaTeasha's interviews, where she calls Jackie an "old church lady in wolf's clothing," are anything to go by, the pair will both certainly have a lot to address to each another at the reunion.
